McDowell County Parks and Recreation reported more vandalism to their parks totaling thousands of dollars in damage.
On Monday, Parks and Rec Director Chad Marsh posted on the department’s Facebook page, the Glenwood ballpark was vandalized by someone doing “donuts” in the fields. The vandal or vandals also pulled the flagpole foundation out of the ground and broke some fencing. Marsh filed a report with the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office, but he said this is just one of many incidents that have occurred since he took over the department.
The following is from his Facebook post.
“Since taking the job as Director of Parks and Recreation in June I’ve witnessed:
- a picnic table thrown in a pool.
- pieces of lawn equipment stolen.
People are also reading…
- countless instances of discovering items associated with illegal drug use at our facilities.
- random acts of vandalism (from graffiti to this weekend’s shenanigans).
- weekly acts of littering and seeing where numerous individuals have left their pet’s waste along almost every trail and at a number of our parks,” he posted on Facebook.
Marsh told The McDowell News on Monday it is getting to the point where charges are going to be pressed if the culprits of these criminal acts are discovered.
“As a steward of taxpayer dollars, if I continue to say kids are being kids, that’s not going to change anything,” Marsh said. “I think we need to draw a line and have consequences for people’s actions for those who vandalize public property.”
One way Parks and Rec is combating the issue is to be present.
“We are getting to all of our parks at least multiple times of a week, just to look and listen to see if there is anything out of place,” he said. “I want to create a sense of pride and ownership for each person that visits the parks. These areas are for everyone, and we need to take care of it when we are using them. The people who work at parks and recreation care. We are working really hard to build and rebuild bridges, improve community relations and the facilties for all citizens of McDowell County to enjoy.”
If you have any information on the vandalism, contact the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office at 652-2235.